IT Portfolio Management Step-by-Step: Unlocking the Business Value of Technology

INVOLVING THE BUSINESS IN IT

Gogel knew he couldn't reach his goal without full participation by the company's business units. As the company recentralized IT, he felt it was essential that the business unit leaders develop trust in the new structure. He worked closely with them to translate their strategic and operating requirements into an enterprisewide technology strategy.

"When we designed our IT governance structure, the first thing we did was reach out to the business units to understand their strategic and operating requirements. We then translated these into an enterprise-wide technology strategy, and put in place a structure that kept the business side involved by giving them real-time visibility and control over the IT initiatives and operations important to them. Our partnership with the business side is so much stronger as a result, because they can see the value we deliver every day."

Ray Gogel, CIO, Xcel Energy

The strategy calls for keeping the business side involved in IT programs and projects to maintain alignment with evolving business goals and priorities. "We want to demonstrate value and resolve problems," said Mike Carlson, Xcel Energy's vice-president of business transformation and customer value. "We are trying to eliminate the black hole between users and IT." This required finding a comprehensive way to capture, analyze, and prioritize IT demand while providing business units clear, easy-to-access views of IT processes and activities.

In other words, ...